WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “SAVED”?
Amazing Grace
What is “grace”? Grace It is UNDESERVED KINDNESS. Someone has said, “Grace is everything for nothing to those who don’t deserve anything.”
An atheist once said, “If there really is a God, may He prove Himself by striking me dead right now.” Nothing happened. The atheist proudly announced, “You see, there is no God.” His friend responded, “You’ve only proved that He is a gracious God.”
BIG IDEA: Only by God’s grace can we be saved.
REVIEW: Why do I need to be saved? Because I was born a sinner and sin’s ultimate punishment is hell.
During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death.
The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. “What’s the [commotion] about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”
The notion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of Karma, the Jewish covenant, and the Muslim code of law—each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional (Perfect Illustrations for Every Topic and Occasion, pp. 116-117; citation: Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing about Grace?).
Bono, lead singer of the band U2 said in an interview with beliefnet.com, “The most powerful idea that’s entered the world in the last few thousand years—the idea of grace—is the reason I would like to be a Christian.”
I. I can NEVER DO ENOUGH to deserve salvation.
In 2001, Reader’s Digest asked Muhammad Ali what his faith meant to him. Ali replied, “[It] means [a] ticket to heaven. One day we’re all going to die, and God’s going to judge us, [our] good and bad deeds. [If the] bad outweighs the good, you go to hell; if the good outweighs the bad, you go to heaven.” That’s what many people believe. But that’s not what the Bible says.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves—it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
In the Bible we find God’s moral law. The only way for me to be saved on my own would be to perfectly obey every one of God’s commands. But that’s impossible. I’m far from perfect.
“Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10).
“We know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin” (Rom. 3:19).
So, I need to be saved by grace. I need undeserved salvation.
II. Christ DID ENOUGH to provide salvation for me.
Do vs. Done/Salvation by Human Effort vs. Salvation by Grace
There are only two principles by which God deals with people—grace and law. According to the principle of grace, God deals favorably with people in a way they do not deserve. The only other principle by which God can deal with people is law. This principle requires Him to deal with people in a way they deserve. Since sinners deserve hell, they cannot be delivered from this penalty by law. The spiritual blindness of man is evident in that all their religions teach that people are saved by their works, the very principle which bars them from acceptance with God. No one can ever be saved from his sins apart from God’s grace.
What has Jesus done for me?
A. SUBSTITUTION: Jesus died in my place.
“Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).
B. JUSTIFICATION: Jesus made me right with God.
“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25).
Justification: God sees me just as if I had never sinned. I’m innocent, no longer guilty.
C. RECONCILIATION: Jesus made peace with God possible.
“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Cor. 5:19).
Jesus is the bridge between God and man.
D. ADOPTION: Jesus made me a part of God’s family.
“He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Eph. 1:5).
E. REDEMPTION: Jesus purchased my salvation with his blood.
The Greek word for redemption refers to slaves being purchased in the marketplace. In the spiritual sense, all of us were slaves to sin until Jesus purchased us out of the slave market and set us free from sin’s bondage. Because He bought us and paid for us with His blood, we now belong exclusively to Him.
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
F. PROPITIATION: Jesus satisfied God’s justice.
To propitiate is to bring satisfaction or to fulfill a demand or requirement. In heathen circles it was a word that meant “to appease the gods.” The biblical sense of the word speaks of that which satisfies the justice of God so that mercy is given.
“He is the atoning sacrifice [propitiation] for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
G. FORGIVENESS: Jesus sent my sins away from me.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Eph. 1:7).
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24).
In the movie Saving Private Ryan, a group of Army Rangers receive a mission to go deep into enemy territory to save Private Ryan. They hit skirmish after skirmish, and some of them are killed along the way. They finally get to where Private Ryan is holed up, and they say, “Come with us. We’re here to save you.” He says, “I’m not going. I have to stay here because there’s a big battle coming up, and I’m not going to abandon my fellow soldiers.”
What do the Rangers do? They all stay and fight, and almost everyone dies except Private Ryan. At the end, one of the main characters—played by Tom Hanks—is sitting on the ground. He’s been shot and he’s dying. But the battle has been won.
Private Ryan leans over to him, and Tom Hanks whispers, “Earn this.” But it’s very unlikely that any Ranger would say, “Earn this.” Why? Because the Ranger motto for the past two hundred years has been “I chose this.” In other words, I volunteered for this. So, if Tom Hanks was really a Ranger, he would have said, “I chose this. You don’t have to earn this. I give up my life for you. That’s my job.”
And so, when you look at the cross and see Jesus hanging there, what you don’t hear is “Earn this.” What He says is “I chose this. You don’t have to pay anything for it” (adapted from Perfect Illustrations for Every Topic and Occasion; citation: Tom Allen, Preaching Today #200).
Grace is often defined by using the five letters of the word: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
III. Salvation is a GIFT for me to RECEIVE, not a REWARD for me to EARN.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
John R. W. Stott said, “The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales.”
How do I receive the gift of salvation?
• By ADMITTING that I am a sinner.
• By BELIEVING that Jesus Christ died from my sins and rose from the grave.
• By CALLING to God for salvation.
These are the ABC’s of salvation: Admit, Believe, and Call.
If you would like to receive God’s gift of salvation today, would you please repeat this prayer after me:
Jesus, I admit to You that I am a sinner.
I believe that you died on the cross for my sin
And rose again to save me.
Today I give my life to You.
Please save me.
Thank You.
Amen.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “SAVED”?
Amazing Grace
What is “grace”? It is ____________________________________.
BIG IDEA: Only by God’s grace can we be saved.
REVIEW: Why do I need to be saved? Because I was born a sinner and sin’s ultimate punishment is hell.
“The most powerful idea that’s entered the world in the last few thousand years—the idea of grace—is the reason I would like to be a Christian.”—Bono, lead singer of U2
I. I can _____________________________________ to deserve salvation.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves—it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8).
II. Christ ____________________________ to provide salvation for me.
A. _________________________: Jesus died in my place.
“Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).
B. _________________________: Jesus made me right with God.
“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25).
C. _________________________: Jesus made peace with God possible.
“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Cor. 5:19).
D. _________________________: Jesus made me a part of God’s family.
“He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Eph. 1:5).
E. _________________________: Jesus purchased my salvation with his blood.
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
F. _________________________: Jesus satisfied God’s justice.
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
G. _________________________: Jesus sent my sins away from me.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Eph. 1:7).
Grace is often described as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
III. Salvation is a ____________ for me to ____________, not a ____________ for me to ____________.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
“The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales.”—John Stott
How do I receive the gift of salvation?
• By ADMITTING that I am a sinner.
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
• By BELIEVING that Jesus Christ died from my sins and rose from the grave.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).
• By CALLING to God for salvation.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13).
These are the ABC’s of salvation: Admit, Believe, and Call.
SCRIPTURE READING
God’s Amazing Grace
WORSHIP LEADER
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
EVERYONE
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
WORSHIP LEADER
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
EVERYONE
That though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
WORSHIP LEADER
So that you through his poverty might become rich.
EVERYONE
This is how God showed his love among us:
WORSHIP LEADER
He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
EVERYONE
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
WORSHIP LEADER
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
EVERYONE
For as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
WORSHIP LEADER
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
EVERYONE
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
WORSHIP LEADER
And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
EVERYONE
Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
WORSHIP LEADER
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves,
EVERYONE
It is the gift of God—not of works, so that no one can boast.
WORSHIP LEADER
God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
EVERYONE
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
